Utility vehicles and light trucks, such as pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles, have become increasingly popular. One of the most important reasons for this popularity is the ability of such a vehicle to carry a considerable amount of cargo for its size. An often cited benchmark of the cargo capacity of such vehicles is the ability to carry a four-foot wide by eight-foot long sheet of paneling flat in the bed of the vehicle, with the rear gate in its upright position. However, the dimensional carrying capacity of such vehicles is limited by the external size of the vehicle, and many people prefer to own and operate vehicles of smaller size and lighter weight in order to enjoy less costly purchase price, insurance, and fuel costs. The configuration of many pickup trucks also limits the size of the bed, with extended cab pickups becoming more and more popular, along with the addition of various accessories (cross-bed tool boxes, etc.), which limit the capacity of the cargo bed of such vehicles. The reduction of bed length in extended cab pickups and the installation of cross-bed toolboxes generally reduce the bed length of even full-size pickup trucks to less than eight feet in length.
Many pickup trucks are now light duty, compact trucks designed to provide relatively low fuel consumption while providing the convenience of a cargo bed. Such trucks often have a standard bed that is on the order of five feet in length. In addition, toolboxes that can be bolted to the truck bed are a common accessory for pickup trucks. Such toolboxes are available in models that extend across the bed directly behind the cab, or that are mounted adjacent the wheel wells, and offer secure storage for tools, but diminish part of the cargo-carrying capacity of the truck bed. Another adverse effect produced by relatively short cargo beds is the difficulty in carrying articles of extended length that rest upon the edge of the tailgate, e.g., ladders and the like. In a vehicle having a cargo bed length of only five feet or less, a longer article must rest atop the edge of the tailgate when the gate is closed. The upper edge of the gate thus becomes a fulcrum for the article. If the article is longer than twice the length of the cargo bed, it is overbalanced beyond the back of the vehicle and tailgate, and must be positively secured somewhere and somehow in the cargo bed of the vehicle. In order to compensate for the sometimes short length of the truck bed or the space occupied by permanently mounted toolboxes, it becomes necessary to extend the length of the truck bed. While many such devices have been proposed, none have proven entirely satisfactory.
Thus, a truck bed extender solving the above noted problems is desired.